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Re: X's "default console input source" = /dev/what?



On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 20:24, Pigeon wrote:
> From "man kbd" for X 4.3.0: (Doesn't exist in earlier versions)
> 
>   The following driver Options are supported:
> 
>        Option "Device" "string"
>               Specify  the  keyboard  device.   Default: the OS's
>               default console keyboard input source.
> 
> This is /dev/console, right? No... explicitly specifying
> Option "Device" "/dev/console" gives me garbage. /dev/kbd? Only exists
> on SPARC. /dev/tty-I-started-X-from? No. /dev/xconsole? No, that's not
> "the X version of /dev/console" but a special fifo for the xconsole
> program.
> 
> What I want to do is find out which /dev entry the above "default
> console keyboard input source" refers to, then tell netcat to copy
> /dev/whatever on a machine A without X to a fifo on a machine B which
> is running X. XF86Config on machine B then specifies 
> Option "Device" "my-special-fifo" as its keyboard device. I can then
> use X on machine B, with machine B's mouse and display, but with
> keyboard input coming from machine A.
> 
> But which /dev entry is it? Experimenting either gives me garbage or a
> crash, /usr/share/doc/xspecs is of no help; Google has only given me
> the negative result that /dev/kbd is only on SPARC. If only that
> man page entry said "Default: /dev/somethingorother"...
> 
> Can anybody help me fill in the blank please?

Not up to 4.3 here, so I can only offer the technical side of why
certain things didn't work. /dev/console is only the outbound stream of
system (kernel and daemons) messages for logging review. My own
suspicion is that it *could* be looking for the virtual console on which
X11 is running, particularly if the virtual consoles are broken into
multiple input and output file descriptors.

Alternately, the XFree86 configuration is prone to defining devices
individually higher in the file (InputDevice, Device, VideoAdaptor,
Monitor,) and then assembling those pieces into a collection of devices
that constitute the system they work at (the ServerLayout.) Could you
post the segment where you find this line?

Otherwise, I am not sure that I am picturing the configuration entirely
correctly - the keyboard you are seeking to use is on a remote box to
where X11 is running, but the mouse is on the system with X11? I am not
sure that anyone quite pictured that mix of input sources for one user.
I'd suggest that maybe the familiarity with that level of configuration
might be on the level of contacting the debian-x list, or XFree86.org
directly.
-- 
Mark L. Kahnt, FLMI/M, ALHC, HIA, AIAA, ACS, MHP
ML Kahnt New Markets Consulting
Tel: (613) 531-8684 / (613) 539-0935
Email: kahnt@hosehead.dyndns.org

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